Kingston WritersFest – Master Class and Onstage with Lorna Crozier

Thanks to the energies of Merilyn Simonds, a dedicated band of volunteers, and some generous sponsors, the Kingston WritersFest is bigger and better than ever! Check out the line-up here. Big names include Margaret Atwood, Joseph Boydon, Michael Crummy, Anne Michaels and Jane Urquhart. We’ll also be treated to some wonderful poetry by the likes of Kevin Connolly, Jennifer Londry, David O’Meara, Billeh Nickerson, and Karen Solie. Mark Sinnett launches his latest thriller, and mystery lovers will be pleased to welcome Louise Penny, Howard Engel, and more. Several authors of YA fiction and graphic fiction will also appear, including my Writing Centre colleague, the lovely Maureen Garvie, author of Amy, By Any Other Name.

I’ll be appearing twice at the WritersFest.

Thursday, September 24, 9:30-11:00 am: Telling It Slant: Memoir Writing. This is a master-class on memoir writing, limited to 40 participants. The cost is $25.

Are you struggling to give shape to an experience that eludes your words? Maybe you’re writing about a painful incident from your past, one that’s taboo. Or maybe your story is so familiar it bores even you. Susan Olding will help you reignite your passion and explore the true heart of your material. Discover how adopting strategies from the lyric essay – collage, braided narratives, alternate structures, heightened attention to language, and more – can give your memoir depth and originality, and make your hours at the desk more rewarding and fun.

All in the Family: Friday, September 25, 3:30-4:45 pm
This is an on-stage conversation with Lorna Crozier, author of the forthcoming memoir Small Beneath the Sky (September). The cost is $10.

In a frank and intimate onstage conversation, poet/essayists Susan Olding and Lorna Crozier discuss their memoirs of growing up in Ontario and Saskatchewan, their relationships with difficult parents, the minefield of female friendship, and the complex business of becoming women and writers.

Events (except for Margaret Atwood’s appearance) take place at the Holiday Inn Waterfront.

Tickets

Tickets and Festival Passes are on sale as of August 1, 2009

Tickets for most Onstage Events are $10 each.
Tickets for Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood are $16 in advance and $18 at the door.
Tickets for Master Classes are $25 each.
Tickets for the Book Lovers Box Lunch are $25 each.
The Battle of the Books is a free event. No ticket is required.

Festival Passes cost $75 and provide admission to all Onstage Events, a value of $135.00. (Master Classes and Book Lovers Box Lunch not included.)
All ticket prices include GST.

Seating

There is general seating for all events except the Margaret Atwood performance, The Year of the Flood,at the Grand Theatre. Tickets to this event are reserved seats.

Please arrive a half hour early to assure a good seat. Festival Pass seats will be held until 15 minutes before each event.

Box Office

For Tickets In Advance Of The Festival:

Tickets for all events, both at the Grand Theatre and the Holiday Inn Waterfront are available through the Grand Theatre Box Office. GST is included and a handling fee will be added to the ticket prices above purchased through the Grand Theatre.

The Grand Theatre box office is open
Monday to Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Tickets and Festival Passes to all Kingston WritersFest onstage events and master classes can be purchased any time online at www.kingstongrand.ca/tickets

For Ticket Sales After September 23:

Unless an event is sold out, tickets will be available at our on-site box office located on the 6th floor of the Holiday Inn Waterfront. Our onside box office will be open 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Thursday to Saturday, September 24 to 26. Tickets can be purchased up to 15 minutes before an event.